1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an embroidery machine, and more particularly to a multi-functional embroidery machine, which can simultaneously embroider sewing objects having various shapes, including a flat object, an object having a shape of a usual processed cloth, an object having a shape of a cap, etc., without replacement or addition of the machine or any separate part for the machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As generally known in the art, embroidery machines can be classified into flat type embroidery machines and tubular type embroidery machines. In the flat type embroidery machine, a flat object is secured on a rectangular frame and is then embroidered by the cooperation between a sewing head and a reel unit. In the tubular type embroidery machine, an object having a shape of a usual processed cloth, such as T-shirt, or a sewing object shaped like a cap is secured and embroidered by a processed cloth supporting frame or a cap frame. The flat type embroidery machine has a bed structure suitable for embroidering of a flat sewing object, and the tubular type embroidery machine has a structure suitable for embroidering of a tubular object and a sewing object for a cap. However, it is impossible for only one conventional embroidery machine to simultaneously embroider more than one kind of sewing objects (e.g., including at least two of a flat sewing object, a tubular sewing object, and a cap-shaped sewing object).
That is, in a conventional embroidery machine, a plurality of sewing heads and a plurality of reel units provided corresponding to the sewing heads are synchronized and operated by one driving source. The conventional embroidery machine has one driver which drives an embroidering frame. Thus, one embroidery machine cannot simultaneously embroider multiple kinds of sewing objects including flat objects, tubular objects, and sewing objects for caps.
In order to solve such problems, it has proposed an embroidery machine, which can embroider multiple kinds of sewing objects.
The embroidery machine is a flat type embroidery machine including a plurality of independent driving embroidering frames which are separately installed. In the embroidery machine, a plurality of sewing heads are divided into at least two head groups separately mounted on an upper beam. Each of the head groups includes an embroidering frame for securing a sewing object and an embroidering frame driver for driving the embroidering frame in X and Y directions.
In operation of the flat type embroidery machine, a flat object is secured to each embroidering frame corresponding to each head group, and then corresponding embroidering frame drivers are individually driven. Accordingly, sewing objects having different patterns can be simultaneously embroidered by one embroidering machine to maximize operation efficiency and mass production.
However, the independent-type driving embroidery machine as described above includes a shuttle bed having a short length suitable to embroider flat objects and has a difficulty in embroidering a tubular object such as a cap or a T-shirt.
The shuttle bed and the embroidering frame driver (X and Y axis drivers) have structures in which a driving unit of a cap frame and a tubular round frame support member can not be mounted to the embroidering fame driver.
An embroidery machine has been required to solve such problems occurring as in the disclosed machine and to have a construction capable of simultaneously embroidering multiple kinds of sewing objects, including flat objects, tubular objects, and cap-shaped objects.